What does "probe" mean?
Any of various medical instruments used to explore wounds, organs, etc.
Probe
/pɹoʊb/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of various medical instruments used to explore wounds, organs, etc.
- Grammar: probe is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: investigation, adventuring, alouette, amassing evidence.
- Useful contrasts: avoid, ignorance, ignore.
- Usage evidence: Probe into the cause of the accident.
How to use "probe"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "probe" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "probe" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "probe" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "probe" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "probe" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "investigation" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "probe", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of various medical instruments used to explore wounds, organs, etc.
- 2 an investigation conducted using a flexible surgical instrument to explore an injury or a body cavity wordnet
- 3 Any of various medical instruments used to explore wounds, organs, etc.; An anal probe, a fictional instrument commonly used by aliens on abducted humans.
"You know, XR178.9, we haven't done any anal probes in a while."
- 4 an exploratory action or expedition wordnet
- 5 Something which penetrates something else, as though to explore; something which obtains information. figuratively
"Silverberg also gives the reader reader some excellent character insight; deep probes into the minds of all the principals bring the reader closer to the persons involved than might be thought possible with the plot so far removed from the realm of normality."
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 a flexible slender surgical instrument with a blunt end that is used to explore wounds or body cavities wordnet
- 7 An act of probing; a prod, a poke.
- 8 an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities wordnet
- 9 An investigation or inquiry. figuratively
"They launched a probe into the cause of the accident."
- 10 A tube attached to an aircraft which can be fitted into the drogue from a tanker aircraft to allow for aerial refuelling.
- 11 A small device, especially an electrode, used to explore, investigate or measure something by penetrating or being placed in it.
"Insert the probe into the soil and read the temperature."
- 12 A small, usually uncrewed, spacecraft used to acquire information or measurements about its surroundings.
- 13 A move with multiple possible answers, seeking to make the opponent choose and commit to a strategy.
- 14 Any group of atoms or molecules radioactively labeled in order to study a given molecule or other structure
Verb
- 1 To explore, investigate, question, test, or prove. ambitransitive
"If you probe further, you may discover different reasons."
- 2 question or examine thoroughly and closely wordnet
- 3 To insert a probe into. transitive
- 4 examine physically with or as if with a probe wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A model of Ford automobile.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Probe into the cause of the accident."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "probe"?
Common synonyms include: investigation, adventuring, alouette, amassing evidence, analyze biologically, anna.
How do you use "probe" in a sentence?
Probe into the cause of the accident.
How do you pronounce "probe"?
Pronounced /pɹoʊb/.
Etymology
For verb: borrowed from Latin probare (“to test, examine, prove”), from probus (“good”). Doublet of prove. For noun: borrowed from Late Latin proba (“a proof”), from probare (“to test, examine, prove”); Doublet of proof. Compare Spanish tienta (“a surgeon's probe”), from tentar (“try, test”); see tempt.